South African High Commissioner to Kenya Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu dies
Johannes Mahlangu served as South Africa’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Somalia, and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).
South Africa’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu, has died after a brief illness.
Mahlangu passed away on August 24, 2025, while en route to a hospital in South Africa.
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“It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, announces the untimely passing of a dedicated family man and public servant, Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu,” the Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.
Adding, “His legacy was one of unwavering dedication and love for this country. Heartfelt condolences to the family of Ambassador Mahlangu.”
Aside from serving as South Africa’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Mahlangu was also the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Somalia and the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).
Mahlangu began his public and political life in the late 1960s as President of the Student Christian Movement in the then Eastern Transvaal.
Between 1991 and 1994, he participated in the historic negotiations at the Congress for Democratic South Africa (CODESA) and the Multiparty Negotiation Forum, helping shape the country’s transition to democracy.
After South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, Mahlangu joined the National Assembly representing the African National Congress (ANC).
He became a member of the Constitutional Assembly tasked with drafting South Africa’s Constitution, chairing the Core Group of the Theme Committee and the Theme Committee on Structures of Government.
During his tenure in Parliament, Mahlangu also served as chairperson of committees. In 2002, he was elected permanent Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and, following the 2004 elections, was re-elected to the position before being elected chairperson of the NCOP in January 2005.
Mahlangu’s diplomatic footprint extended internationally.
He represented South Africa in numerous conferences and seminars, including the Study of the Role of the Senate in Germany (1995), the Study of Intergovernmental Relations in India (1999), the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conferences, the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2003, the Speakers’ Conference in New York (2005), and the 18th Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers’ Conference.
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